Furler Question

[szymek]

Hi folks,

I haven't posted here in a while since I picked up my Catalina 25. I've had wonderful 3 seasons on hear already. During the summer I spend nearly every weekend on her and some weeknights as well. I am more than happy with my decision to pick her up.

Here's a link to my first post if you want to see a pic of her. She's at the bottom of first page.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...oat-16418.html

Back to my question. Every year I do some upgrades to her. This year it's time for a furler.

I've been looking for used furler in the area but was not able to find it. Well i've inherited 810 Seafurl continuous line furler from my buddy at the marina. But I don't think I will install it based on the reviews and issues with it unfurling.

I'm looking at Simplicite furler or CF700. Both of those units seem to come as full package and they're nearly the same price.

CF700 comes with PVC extrusions - is that something to worry about??

Which one would you folks recommend?

you guys helped me find a boat... so hopefully you will help me find a furler now.

[S/V Alchemy]

I like Schafer and ProFurl (I have a 41 footer with ProFurl on my forestay), but given that I've kept hank-ons on my 33 foot "classic plastic", I have to question if furling on a 25 footer is really necessary. If you solo sail, I would rather put money into a tiller pilot and use that when head to wind, as getting a 25 footer's gennie up is not difficult if you lay the sail on deck with a bungee securing it and if you rig a downhaul, you can do all this from the cockpit.

I'm in Toronto, and I frequently solo sail a Viking 33. If it's just farting around the Island, I rig a No. 3 and a full main. If I had a furler, I would lose sail area and the pointing ability I love about this boat.

[szymek]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

I like Schafer and ProFurl (I have a 41 footer with ProFurl on my forestay), but given that I've kept hank-ons on my 33 foot "classic plastic", I have to question if furling on a 25 footer is really necessary. If you solo sail, I would rather put money into a tiller pilot and use that when head to wind, as getting a 25 footer's gennie up is not difficult if you lay the sail on deck with a bungee securing it and if you rig a downhaul, you can do all this from the cockpit.

I'm in Toronto, and I frequently solo sail a Viking 33. If it's just farting around the Island, I rig a No. 3 and a full main. If I had a furler, I would lose sail area and the pointing ability I love about this boat.

That is good point! I didn't think of impact on pointing ability.

I do most of the sailing single handed and in all kinds of weather. Just when wind gets about 15kt plus... it's always bit of a pain in the behind bring the head sail down. I do have it rigged to the cockpit. So I can raise her and drop her right from the cockpit.

So you gave me something to think about. Maybe I will reconsider it for now. I'd rather save the $ and invest into something else. I need some work on the outboard and I might need to replace the pump on the head.

Any other comments or advice?

[S/V Alchemy]

First of all, choose your headsail based on the worst weather you anticipate. This often means a No. 3 because it fits inside the foretriangle and is easy to tack quickly from the cockpit and doesn't (usually) need skirting at the lifelines. Second, consider flying that No. 3 on a small tack pendant. This gives you better visibility forward and catches a bit more air aloft. You should be aware that flying a No. 3 on a pendant will worsen your pointing ability, but the reason is safety and ease of use, not speed. If you want to race fast, get a crew to work on the foredeck with the biggest sail you can safely carry.

Third, consider a jib downhaul. This is a thin line running from the headboard to a block at the tack and then aft to the cockpit. It gives you lots of control at bringing down any foresail in an orderly fashion and helps to KEEP it there, particularly if you run shock cord to the toerails forward to create a "cradle" for the downed sail.

This is very helpful particularly when you want to get the No. 1 on deck without getting it into the water, and in Lake Ontario in the summer, you usually want the No.1 for the typically light, warm air we get. Once you've downhauled the foresail, tension that line and tension the sheets. This is usually enough to keep the sail "tamed" without the need to go forward and bungee it down.

Hope this helps.